Bowes Primary School

Bowes Primary School was judged outstanding in every key judgement at this first section 5 inspection under the current framework; as a result, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The school is part of the Connect Education Trust. Inspectors found a very happy, purposeful and safe school where pupils live up to the core values of resilience, respect and responsibility and enjoy excellent relationships with staff. The school provides a rich, well-designed curriculum and pupils achieve extremely well, producing work of a very high standard. Reading and phonics are a top priority, teaching is expert, and staff check learning routinely to address gaps. There is highly effective support for the high proportion of pupils with SEND, including bespoke provision in the 'Windermere' setting. Behaviour, personal development, early years provision and leadership are all outstanding, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Improving attendance remains a key priority, although the school has deployed successful strategies to reduce absence. Pupils benefit from strong personal development, enrichment, trips, digital technology and high take-up of extra-curricular clubs among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Leadership at all levels is strong and aspirational, governance is effective, and staff feel valued. The report notes that some provisional 2024 outcomes were not significantly above average, which it attributes to the school’s high proportion of pupils with SEND and EHC plans.

Strengths

• Happy, purposeful and safe school with strong core values and excellent relationships.
• Rich, well-designed curriculum enabling deep knowledge and high-standard work.
• Strong reading and phonics provision with extra support where needed.
• Highly effective SEND identification and support, including bespoke Windermere provision.
• Superb behaviour, social and character development from Nursery onwards.
• Excellent personal development programme covering health, safety, relationships and enrichment.
• Strong leadership at all levels with effective governance and staff development.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.
• Successful strategies to reduce pupils’ absence.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains a key priority, although successful strategies are reducing absence.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Bowes Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.2% of pupils at Bowes Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Bowes Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.4% of pupils at Bowes Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Bowes Primary School received £7,809 and spent £8,145 for each of its 467 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£252 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Connect Education Trust, income was £7,297 and spending £7,332 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Enfield · Enfield local authority: places and applications

Bowes Primary School is part of Connect Education Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Eversley Primary School London
• Hazelbury Primary School London
• Grange Park Primary School London
• Delta Primary School Enfield
• Carterhatch Junior School Enfield
• Chesterfield Primary School Enfield
• Fern House School Enfield

What is Bowes Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bowes Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Bowes Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bowes Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Bowes Primary School have?

Bowes Primary School has 464 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bowes Primary School cover?

Bowes Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bowes Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bowes Primary School?

Bowes Primary School is at Bowes Road, New Southgate, London, N11 2HL.